Three minutes fast, three minutes slow.
Japanese walking, or interval walking training (IWT), was developed at Shinshu University in Japan. You alternate brisk walking, fast enough that talking takes effort, with easy walking. Five rounds make thirty minutes. Researchers followed people doing it four days a week for five months.
Made to keep your eyes off the screen.
Every switch, in your pocket
A vibration and a voice tell you when to speed up and when to slow down. Your phone can stay in your pocket.
Your week, as a rope of stars
Each day you walk hangs a paper star. Finish the plan and it turns gold.
The five-month journey
Follow the same five months the study did: fitness, leg strength and blood pressure goals, month by month.
A weekly story
Every Sunday a short summary of your week: days, minutes, your longest walk.
Your month, on paper
At the end of each month: how many days you walked, your weeks side by side, the road so far.
See every interval in your heart rate.
Wear an Apple Watch or a Bluetooth heart rate strap and Ayumi draws your heart rate over the whole walk: it climbs in every fast phase and settles in every slow one. You get your fast and slow averages, your peak and how long you spent in each zone. On the watch, live heart rate sits on your wrist while you walk.
- Live heart rate on Apple Watch
- Fast and slow averages for every walk
- Time in easy, moderate and hard zones
- Saved to Apple Health with distance and calories
Start your seven free days
Download on the App Store
A little friendly competition.
Walking is easier when someone is waiting for you. Add friends with a link and Ayumi turns your walks into a gentle game:
- This week's race. Everyone's stamp moves along a paper path, one step for every day walked. The leader gets a gold star; nobody is ever “last”.
- The month's leaderboard. Who walked the most days, the most minutes, the longest streak. Leader of the month, Most minutes, Longest streak.
- Badge showcase. Your rarest badges on display, with a spotlight on the one only a single friend holds.
- Invite price. Friends who join through your invite get the 6-month and yearly plans at a special price.
Only your name, your walking days and your badges are shared, and only if you turn it on. Heart rate and Health data never leave your phone.
Download on the App StoreWhat five months of interval walking did.
In a randomized study with 246 adults (average age 63) who walked this way at least four days a week for five months:
Walking also eases anxiety and lifts mood: a 2024 review of 75 randomized trials found fewer symptoms of both.
Nemoto K. et al., Mayo Clinic Proceedings 2007 (PMID 17605959). JMIR Public Health and Surveillance 2024 (PMID 39045858). Results vary from person to person; Ayumi is not a medical device.
Little rewards for showing up.
Paper badges for your walks, your rhythm, the distance and the seasons, plus rare ones like Northern Lights for walks after midnight.
What is Japanese walking?
Japanese walking is interval walking training (IWT): 3 minutes of fast walking followed by 3 minutes of slow walking, repeated 5 times, about 30 minutes in total. It was developed by Shinshu University researchers in Japan.
How fast is the fast part?
Fast enough that you can talk, but not comfortably sing: about 70% of your maximum effort. The slow part is an easy stroll to recover.
How often should I do it?
The study protocol was at least 4 days a week for 5 months. Ayumi lets you set a weekly goal of 1 to 7 days and starts you at 3.
Can I do Japanese walking on a treadmill?
Yes. Ayumi has an indoor mode with treadmill speeds for each phase and lets you nudge the speed while you walk.
Do I need an Apple Watch?
No. Ayumi works on iPhone alone. With an Apple Watch you also get haptics on your wrist and live heart rate.
How much does Ayumi cost?
The first 7 days are free. After that you can choose a monthly, 6-month or yearly plan, or a one-time lifetime unlock.